India’s largest hospitality group, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces announced its plans to launch its Vivanta brand of hotels in Africa, China and Dubai. The group, which recently opened a Vivanta by Taj property in Hyderabad, is looking at opportunities in South Africa and other African countries.
The Taj Pamodzy hotel in Zambia may also be converted into Vivanta, an “upper upscale business hotel, it was reported in IANS, with plans to add five other such hotels abroad to the Vivanta brand. Taj already has two Vivanta hotels in Sri Lanka and the Maldives and it plans to increase its footprint abroad. The company also plans to open its first hotel in North Africa, in Morocco.
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, India’s largest hospitality group latest addition to the Vivanta by Taj portfolio is the Vivanta by Taj - Begumpet, Hyderabad. With the launch of this hotel, the overall Vivanta by Taj portfolio goes up to 23 hotels. This will be the first hotel under the Vivanta banner in Andhra Pradesh thereby increasing the brand’s footprint in the country. It is the 5th property in Hyderabad by Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces after Taj Banjara, Taj Krishna, Taj Deccan and the iconic Taj Falaknuma Palace.
Speaking on the launch of the new hotel, Raymond N Bickson, managing director & CEO, Indian Hotels Company Limited, said: “The launch of Vivanta by Taj- Hotels & Resorts heralds a new chapter in the 110 year history of the Taj. It supports the company’s objective of achieving growth through domestic dominance. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has had a long-standing relationship with Hyderabad. This is our fifth hotel in the city. The mix of work and play; a stylish urban oasis is what Vivanta by Taj – Begumpet brings to the city of Hyderabad.”
During the 2012-13 financial year, four new Vivanta hotels are expected to open in North Kerala, Coorg (Karnataka), Gurgaon and Dwarka (Gujarat). It is also looking at other locations including Amritsar, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Puducherry, Nagpur and Udaipur.
Bickson told a news conference that 23 Vivanta hotels together have 3,500 rooms with occupancy of 67 to 88 per cent. He added that the Taj Hotel & Resorts will add another 17 new hotels to their portfolio in 2012. It plans to open one hotel every three weeks and it covers all its brands - luxury, Vivanta, Gateway and Ginger. “During the last seven years, we opened one hotel every six weeks,” he said.
Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces has received recognition for three of its properties in two different categories in the UK’s Condé Nast Traveller Gold List 2012. The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai was included in the Best Hotels for Location category (Asia), while Blue Sydney received the same accolade for the Australasia and South Pacific region. The Taj Falaknuma Palace which opened in Hyderabad last year was a brand new entry in the category for Best Hotels for Ambiance and Design in Asia. The hotel’s extensive 10- year restoration was praised as a tribute to the skills of the local artisans involved, who have brought this famed home of the Nizams back to its former glory.